RCE Greater Western Sydney-2012

rce_proj_title
1. General Information
Contact Name(s): 
Annie Nelson
Organizational Affiliation : 
Parramatta Climate Action Network, Climate Summit Organising Collective
Role in the project: 
Coordinator
E-Mail Address(es): 
Project-relevant information: 
http://climatesummit.org.au/video-from-the-2012-summit/
2. Project Information
1. Project title: 
National Climate Action Summit 2012
2. Project Description: 
National Climate Action Summit was hosted at UWS Parramatta campus in Greater Western Sydney in April 2012 - 530 participants and representatives from 100 grass roots community groups from across Australia attended, along with key politicians and natiional figures.
The Community Climate Action Summit is organised by the National Community Climate Network – a network of over 100 climate action groups across Australia. The RCE-GW partnered with the summit. The Directory of Sustainability at UWS met with the Climate Change Commission in May to discuss issues that arose.
3. Project Status: 
Finished
4. Key Words
Key Words: 
Biodiversity
Other: 
Climate Change, Carbon Emissions, Activism
5. Project categories
Project categories: 
Awareness building
Influencing policy processes
Networking and partnership development
6. Expected outcomes:: 
The Community Climate Action Summit is organised by the National Community Climate Network – a network of over 100 climate action groups across Australia.
Tens of thousands of ordinary Australians and climate change researchers, activists and leaders are members of local climate action groups who work together to advocate for urgent action on climate change. The aims of the climate summit are to:
- raise awareness in the community about the risks posed by global warming;
- lobby politicians and decision-makers for effective public policy responses; and to
- work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in participants' own communities to reduce climate risk and create safer, healthier communities.

The Community Climate Action Summit has been held every year since 2009. In 2009 and 2010 it was held in Canberra at the Australian National University. In 2011 the conference was held at Melbourne University in conjunction with the Melbourne Sustainable Societies Institute. The 2012 summit was held with the support of UWS and RCE-GWS. The summit raised awareness on issues surrounding climate change at a grass roots level and made a political statement concerning action for climate chane via a Forum - Beyond the Carbon Price at NSW Parliament House.
7. Duration of the Project:: 
27 - 29 April 2012
3. Project Leadership & Vision
8. Project coordination (e.g. teams): 
Parramatta Climate Action Network is an RCE GWS member, was one of the networks that was on the organising committee for the 2012 Summit and coordinated the delivery of the Summit.
9. Leadership structure
a. Administration: 
6
b. Transactional: 
3
c. Transformational: 
1
4. Project results
10. Project results : 
The 2012 Summit had the largest number of attendees to date - 530 participants.
A strong list of nationally and internationally recognised academics, politicians, activists and policy makers presented at the Summit.
11. Contribution to reforms and innovations: 
Each year the National Climate Action Summit lobbies politicians and decision makers for effective public policy repsonses to climate change. As part of the 2012 Summit, on Friday 27th April a forum - 'Beyond the Carbon Price' was held at the NSW Parliament House , Macquarie Street, Sydney. Speakers included : John Hewson – Chairman Global DC and former Liberal Leader; Ged Kearney – Australian Council of Trade Unions, President ; Jenny McAllister – Australian Labor Party, National President; Christine Milne– Australian Greens Senator and leader; Richard Denniss, The Australia Institute and Simon Butler- co-editor of the Australian Green Left Weekly.
12. Unexpected / unplanned results: 
Requests for radio interview that featured the RCE - Beyond Zero Emmisions Radio "the only hour of cliamte change radio solutions" based in Melbourne (online podcast available at: www.uws.edu.au/rce/resources) . TV Sydney coverage.
13.Core Partners: 
Parramatta Climate Action Network
5. Partnership and networking
14. Project Network
a. Information network: 
4
b. Knowledge network: 
5
c. Innovation network: 
1
6. Participation
15. Type of involvement: 
RCE partners could participate in the following ways:
- Summit participants
- Summit presenters
16. Participation opportunities
a. Informational participation: 
5
b. Consultation participation: 
3
c. Decision influencing participation : 
2
7. Education & Learning
17. Educational activities: 
Nationally recognised speakers delivered the following keynotes, opportunties for workshop participation:

- Fiona Armstrong – Workshop: Using the health frame to build support for climate action
- Prof. Geoff Scott; Prof. Richard Bawden; Prof. David Ellsworth and Prof. Phil O'Neill – Panel: Leading the way in Sustainable education, research and social action at UWS. Video available.
- Haydn Washington – Rebutting the Climate Change Deniers
- Simon Butler – Workshop: The Economics of Growth and Happiness - System, not consumers, the big green problem
- Simon Butler – Forum: Beyond the Carbon Price
- Ian Dunlop – Panel: Bridging the gap between science and politics
- John Kaye – Panel: The Future of Renewables – Barriers to Renewable Energy
- Mark Diesendorf – Panel: The Future of Renewables
- Peter Newman – Panel: Australia in the world scene beyond Durban
- Philip Sutton – The How Fast Project
- Syd Smith – Climate change in schools
- Irene Doutney -The Greens – City of Sydney Sustainability Initiatives
18. Learning activities: 
The national community network, the annual Summit and its associated parliamentary meetings and workshops, along with media video coverage represent an important model of an integrated approach to community engagement with climate change.
19. Educational activities
a. Theory: 
2
b. Discussion: 
4
c. Interactive and Multidimensional "action oriented education": 
4
8. Research Integration
22. Description of research
a. Disciplinary: 
3
b. Interdisciplinary: 
4
c. Transdisciplinary: 
3
Type: 
Project Reports
Region: 
Asia-Pacific
Community: 
Climate Change
Community_second: 
Pollicy Engagement
Issue: 
Climate Change
One More Issue: 
Sustainable Consumption and Production
Country: 
Australia